


Overview about (our) head-canon systems for Vinyamar Untold and Gondolin Untold

by eikyuuyuki



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Gondolin, Headcanon, Invented events, Vinyamar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 00:57:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18680860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eikyuuyuki/pseuds/eikyuuyuki
Summary: Head-canon systems based on the original work revolving about the daily life of High King Turgon and Lords of the Twelve Houses, from when they were young to the fall of Gondolin. Distinguished traits, relationships and numerous events have been added to each of the characters in order to fill the gap of their life in the original work.





	Overview about (our) head-canon systems for Vinyamar Untold and Gondolin Untold

**Author's Note:**

> Authors: Windrelyn & EikyuuYuki  
> Translator: EikyuuYuki
> 
> This is not a fanfic, just an introduction to our headcanons.

**I/ General:**

These are our parody head-canon systems (it can get serious sometimes) based on the original work, including _The Silmarillion, The Fall of Gondolin, Unfinished Tales_ and _People of Middle-Earth_ , revolving about the daily life of High King Turgon and Lords of the Twelve Houses, from when they were young to the fall of Gondolin. Distinguished traits, relationships and numerous events have been added to each of the characters in order to fill the gap of their life in the original work. Vinyamar Untold and Gondolin Untold, which were built by me and my other two partners, has been starting since 2016. By now, they are kind of complete. All of my fancomics and fanfics involving Gondolin are following these two systems.

At first, our motivation was that Gondolin had too few material. Almost everything the readers remember after reading the original is the Last day of Gondolin. So, we decided to set free our imagination to satisfy our liking. After two years devoting ourselves to brainstorm all the ideas and sketch out characters’ appearance, we have, at the beginning a Short Comic project, one and now two complete systems filled up with numerous theories, headcanons, our own original characters (OC), our own invented events and relationship connected, with all kinds of genres, from humorous to boylove to romance and angst to the fullest.

Short name for both systems are Vindolin/VAC. Its comic version is _Gondolin Untold_ (part 1 is available [here](https://tanukise7en.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/gondolins-untold-chapter-1-english-version/)) and its fanfic version is _Behind the Summer’s Gate, Over the Winter’s Peak_ (ongoing with unknown finishing date).

**II/ Summary:**

Both systems are built on the basic assumption: “Maeglin did not love Idril but considered her as his big sister.” Timelines and some locations have been changed or shortened to match.

\- Vinyamar Untold told a story about the Gondolin’s Lords families, their childhood in Valinor, the time when Prince Turgon first brought people to set up his city by the ocean at Vinyamar, how Turgon won the heart of his people. At this point, all the lords were young and they were not very close to each other. There were Clans and Workman Wards (the former of the later Houses).

\- Gondolin Untold happened when Turgon was told in a dream by the Lord of Water Ulmo about a hidden valley. This system, firstly, was about a building process of Gondolin (including fierce quarrel for which area belonged to which house), their long journey from Vinyamar to Gondolin, a conferral date for the lords, how each House elected theirs Deputies (all of whom are our OC, there will be a separate overview for them later). Then, it focused on the peaceful and full of unexpected humorous life of the King and the Twelve Houses over the span of 400 years. You will also get to know the relationship between the Lords and their Deputies.

The end followed original work, because Gondolin would fall down anyway with or without Maeglin’s betrayal. Those that were dead, stay dead and those that went to Sirion, still went there to mourn…

**List of King, Lords and Deputies (the “/” indicates there are predecessor and successor)**

House of the King: Turgon – Idril

House of the Mole: Maeglin – Lygig

House of the Wing (had not existed until Tuor came to Gondolin): Tuor – Voronwë

House of the Tree: Galdor – Lumaladh/Legolas (of the Tree)

House of the Fountain: Ecthelion – Gaeruil

House of the Golden Flower: Glorfindel – Angloth

House of the Hammer of Wrath: Rog – Uinor

House of the Pillar and House of the Tower of Snow: Penlod – Tagolhannen

House of the Heavenly Arch: Egalmoth – (no Deputy)

House of the Swallow: Gaildor/Duilin – Saerveth

House of the Harp: Salgant – (no Deputy)

**Some characters that must be mentioned:**

Loremaster/King’s Assistant/Advisor/Book’s Keeper: Pengolodh

Leader of the Guard for the Seven Gates: Elemmakil

Short-time residents: Celebrimbor and his best friend, Scholar Duvainor (Our OC, Master of Erestor)

With numerous “dangerous” creatures like swans, mice, fish, swallows, etc.

**III/ Twelve Houses:**

  1. **House of the Heavenly Arch & House of the Tree – Egalmoth & Galdor**



The House of Tree were in charge of everything plant, from farming, logging, carpentry, wood building to herbs growing. The House’s speciality was apple hence they were called The House of the Apple Tree by the King, in jest. Most of physicians and cooks were from this House. Their main weapons were spears and clubs. Lord of the House of Tree was Galdor, who was said to be the fiercest people in the City (of course he only used violence on those who deserved it, otherwise, he was kind and warm). Galdor could hit with the spear handle, impaled with the spearhead or smashed with the club at the same time, or in short to pummel the unruly folks. The jostling crowd would dismiss immediately by the sound of his spear and club knocking on the floor or table. However, King Turgon did not know of this side of Galdor since the Lord was always soft and gentle (like a bunny) in front of the King. Galdor took care of the King’s diet and it was him who wake up Turgon every morning. And this was not an easy job as the King was lazier than any Efling. But Galdor often attended to every desire of the King to the point of spoiling him. Another thing that concerned Galdor was the apple thieves of his garden. His usual saying was _“Smashed by the spear or become an Elf skewer, your choice.”_

The House of the Heavenly Arch was like a household manufacturing industry zone including garment making, jewelry making and appraisal to handcraft. There was also a ward for weapon making such as cross-bows, long bows and catapults. The people of this House knew only one thing – work – and they rarely pick up a quarrel since their Lord was a methodical person. Egalmoth was indeed a multifunction all-time running machine. His whole life only revolved about approving official document, handling order, appraising gemstones and training the soldiers. The House of the Heavenly Arch had a long term relationship with the House of the Swallow and Egalmoth himself was very close to Lord Duilin of that House. Egalmoth was light-fingered, meticulous and he preferred working alone. He was, sometimes, consumed with a thirst for killing as a result of the past war but quickly came back to normal if he saw the King or Duilin. He was assigned as the Keeper of the Treasury and rarely had him given anything to the King, even a small piece of jewelry. In his spare time, Egalmoth liked collecting debt from those that had not pay deposit for their orders or had not pay him in full for the goods delivered. In short, he could turn everything to fee and cost. His usual saying was _“You own me the amount of…”_

  1. **House of the Golden Flower & House of the Fountain – Glorfindel & Ecthelion**



The House of the Golden Flower were responsible for guard duty and soldiers’ training. They mostly worked together with the House of the Tree in growing and harvesting seasonal vegetables and crops, making aromatic spices and distilling all kinds of perfume and dye, following the exclusive recipe handed down from generation to generation of the House of the Golden Flower. So, if someone dared to make fun of this House, besides other kinds of weapons, they might got a chance to experience their shovel. Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, Glorfindel were usually addressed as “lady” instead of “lord” because of his unbearable tricks to show his beauty. He and Lord of the Fountain were joined at the hip. They grew up together and Glorfindel always wheedled or teased Ecthelion but they worked together very well. His usual saying was “The King was not only as old as Arda but he was also stingy and ugly”, which always got him scolded and punished by the King.

The House of the Fountain, by the name, were responsible for water yield, water channel, drainage systems, and irrigation canals from all the rivers, lakes and ponds in the valley, providing water for daily use and work of other Houses. The Lord of this House, Ecthelion (self-claimed as a salmon) was indeed a potential threat for every Houses, despite his calm and elegance appearance and a sweet and clear sound from his flute. The reason was that he had the tendency to cut the water supply anytime he felt like. He was obsessed with the idea of being dried to dead so he had everyone save water all the time. His second hobby was using his voice (in all wrong ways), including teasing the King and shouting to the point that the glasses broke. His third hobby was raising swan and teaching them to bite people. He wished to have a game of 100 swans. His usual saying was “Don’t worry. They are gentle. They don’t bite.” Joined at the hip with the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower and was the only one who could stand those cheesy stuffs of Glorfindel.

  1. **House of the Swallow & House of the Pillar + House of the Tower of Snow – Duilin & Penlod**



House of the Swallow mostly focused on training bowmen, watching the wall and watching tower of seven gates. This House also produced arrows, raised pigeon post, so they were considered as “the postmen” of the city. Sometimes they did make mistakes and delivered mails to wrong receivers, which caused a lot of troubles. Their Lord, Duilin was the smallest and quickest in Gondolin that none could caught him running. His arrows also flied very fast. He always aimed for the most vulnerable spots and always succeed despite whatever the condition (rain, storm, far objects, hidden objects, etc.) He had a flock of swallow escorted him everywhere and ready to pecked anyone dared to teased their master. Duilin’s hobby was jumping around the city, mostly on the roof, top of the tower, top of the tree, which was so dangerous that even after a couple of hundred years everyone are still very concerned about his safety. He liked to steal apple from the House of the Tree’s garden, loved eating snack anytime and anywhere. He might had a naïve look but inside he was dark, which he rarely showed to anyone. Duilin once had a big brother named Gaildor (our OC) with whom he was always compared (and he hated it). He had a natural bond with the House of the Heavenly Arch from his father time, hence he was very close to Egalmoth.

House of the Tower of Snow and Pillar gathered all architects, builders, sculptures, stone carvers, etc. in short everyone who participated in construction. In which, the House of Pillar mostly worked as architects and construction’s supervisors. This House’s Leader was Penlod’s far cousin, Tagolhannen, who was also Head Architect of Gondolin. While House of the Tower of Snow mostly directly took part in preparing materials and building houses, as well as cooperating with other Houses when building new construction. People of both Houses were crazy fans of their Lord, despite Penlod’s bad habit of punching people frequently. However, he was serious and proper in work. He was just not very good at building close relationship with other Houses. He was also a neat freak and loved to show off his fancy clothes. Penlod and Rog (who lived next door) were petitioners in the narrow lane. Their quarrels and fights were so fierce that Turgon sometimes had to interfere and punish both. Actually their relationship was very complicated which could not be told in this summary. Penlod’s usual saying was _“Want a punch?”_

  1. **House of the Hammer of Wrath & House of the Harp – Rog & Salgant**



House of the Hammer of Wrath originated from the blacksmith quarters that followed Turgon to Vinyamar, comprising of the smiths, the Elves in exile due to war and those prisoners of war who luckily escaped from Orc and Morgoth. The Lord of this House, Rog himself had been captured and tortured for many years until he successfully got away. Despite the concern from other Elves, Turgon accepted and trusted Rog, which was why he always appreciated and had never stopped trying so as not to fail the King. Rog was absolutely loyal to and had special feeling for the King and always supported all of his ideas. He was said to be the maker of Glamring, as well as other Lords’ weapons. Rog was straightforward, broad-minded but also quick-tempered and not a good talker. Despite that, he had good relationship with every Houses. Because he worked in the forge most of the time, he did not have time to spruce himself up or to dress nicely. He also did not have time to closely control the people of his House. Therefore, they often pick up a quarrel, especially with the House of the Pillar and House of the Tower of Snow. Rog had been Penlod’s foe since they were young. These two had never stopped fighting each other and most of the time it was Penlod who started first. Rog’s usual saying when he saw Penlod from afar was _“The White Demon/Monster comes to make a fuss again?”_

House of the Harp gathered the musicians and scholars and considered as the event planners of the whole city. All festivals, entertainment activities, singing competitions and contests were mainly prepared and hosted by this House. They often cooperated with House of the Heavenly Arch and House of the Golden Flower in decorating the event. Their Lord, Salgant stayed in his room most of the time to compose music, play his harp and give directions. He sometimes handmade some cute, small things. He did not like using big words and hated war. Salgant was not good at communicating, perplexed if being asked for his opinion and had to spend lot of time to figure out what to say. Maeglin, Lord of the House of the Mole was the only one who could drag him out of his room and they often went for a walk somewhere in the city. He had special feeling for Maeglin. Salgant always waited for Maeglin every morning before going (or in fact running) to the Court at the King’s Tower no matter how late the other guy was. Salgant was also a very good wine appraisal. His alcohol tolerance was markedly high because there was no feast without good wine.

  1. **House of the Mole & House of the Wing – Maeglin & Tuor, Idril**



House of the Mole was in charge of mining, trench making and anything related, hence its people were always covered in dirt and mud. Shovels and pickaxes were their inseparable things. This House worked closely with the House of the Heavenly Arch and the House of the Hammer of Wrath. They also raised moles for their skin. Lord of the House had two mice as his pets. Though he was a Prince, Maeglin did not bother to work underground, inside a dark and dirty vault (he even loved it). Like the rest of the House (except the Deputy), he had sharp hearing, good sense of perception and very sensitive sense of smell, as well as the ability to navigate in total darkness. However, because his nose was too sensitive to smell that it only needed a bottle of wine, a slight sense of perfume or a pinch of aromatic spice to knock him over. Other people of his House shared the same problem so they did not drink (except the Deputy). Maeglin considered Idril as his bigger sister. Sometimes, he was uncomfortable because of Idril and Turgon’s over care (especially regarding his marriage). In his spare time, Maeglin went to the library to learn more from Pengolodh. He used foul language too often that it became his habit but he did not dare to say a (bad) word in front of his cousin and uncle. He often gang up with Rog from the House of the Hammer of Wrath and Celebrimbor (the temporary inhabitant), with whom he shared the same interest of the mine under the mountain. At first, he did not like Tuor, doubting that the Man would not treat his sister well. However, he gradually accepted this brother-in-law. Even to the point that he often came over his House for a meal, partly because Tuor and Voronwë cooked very well. His heart melted when Ëarendil called him “Uncle Maeglin~”. His great disaster was this Deputy, Lygig, who picked on him 24/24. He sometimes hanged out with the Lord of the House of the Harp, who was very fond of him.

House of the Wing was established very late and did not have many members hence they were not responsible for any task of significant importance, except escorting, protecting the princess and her husband and taking part in the city’s watch. The House’s symbol was a swan’s wing because Lord Tuor was madly in love with the creature. He often came over to play with Ecthelion’s swans and had never been bitten by them. Everything was good and fair through Tuor’s eyes, however, the absolutely perfect and admiring role-model was his father-in-law, King Turgon (despite the fact that Turgon was teased and bad-mouthed frequently by everyone). Tuor always tried to be a true gentleman so he used euphemism and florid languages a lot and of course he disliked and never spoke swear words. His cooking skill was 8 out of 10 thanks to being self-reliance from a very young age and a life of wanderer (this heritage skipped a generation so Elrond liked cooking too). He loved to chit chat and could exchange gossip whole day. He kept the habit of talking to himself which dated back to the time he was alone. When Ëarendil was born, Tuor stayed home often to play with the boy. He did not scare of anything but always acted dramatically by adding interjection such as _“How scared!”, “How terrible!”, “That’s horrible-“,_ etc. together with a string of _“ouch”_ and _“aaa”._

  1. **Voronwë, Pengolodh, Legolas of the Tree and Elemmakil**



\- Voronwë belonged to the House of the King but due to his passion for water, he requested to come over the House of Fountain to be an apprentice. Then, he had an admiration for Lord Ecthelion, so he self-claimed to be one of the House of Fountain. Whenever there was big festival in the city, Turgon had to send someone to come over and fetch Voronwë back to his right House, which was not an easy job as it seemed. When Ecthelion opened a contest to choose his Deputy, Voronwë was eager to join and had high hope, however, he was failed cold-heartedly by Ecthelion from the beginning, saying: “You are not from my House”. With sorrow in his heart, Voronwë volunteered to the group that Turgon sent out to find Valinor. After that, he met Tuor as in original story. They became best friend and of course Voronwë was chosen as Deputy of the House of the Wing.

\- Pengolodh (in our version) was a dangerous and ruthless scholar of Gondolin (same as Erestor in Imladris), who used his pen as a weapon to sting people when he was upset. And the one who got the most sting was the King because Turgon neglected his duty of paperwork. Pengolodh could throw a pen with unfailing accuracy like people threw a dart. The pen he stuck behind his ear was custom-made with a sharp nib to do the aforementioned savage actions. Those who slept during his lesson would have their face painted. Those dared to tease him shared the same fate. Pengolodh followed the movement of “living alone” but loved teasing those lovers when they were lovey dovey, to the point that they were too embarrassed and had to leave. The only couple that were brave enough to resist Pengolodh’s starring probably was Ecthelion and Glorfindel.

\- Legolas of the Tree was the son of House of the Tree’s Deputy, Lumaladh. He was pampered too much that he was spoiled. Legolas rarely stayed at home, but ran around the city and played with the gate’s guards, which brought great sadness to his father. He had the best eyes of all Gondolin so he usually saw something which he was not supposed to see from other Houses. He was crazy fan of the King and liked bothering Captain Elemmakil.

\- Elemmakil belonged to the House of the King and Captain of the Guard of the Seven Gates. He was serious and strict all the time. If there was anything in Arda that he could not resist, it must be sweets and snacks, especially honey. If he was in good mood, he could turn crazy, beyond anyone’s imagination. He followed Turgon since they were in Valinor. Since he spent most of the time at the gate, he was not updated with all the news in the city. He had an enmity against Legolas of the Tree because he was an usual target of his tricks.

  1. **House of the King – Turgon and Aredhel (his younger sister)**



House of the King included the King’s immediate family, the royal family/relatives of the former of House of Fingolfin and the royal’s guard. In our system, Aredhel usually travelled far away with the House of Fëanor so she was not involved much in the city’s life, except for when she helped raising and teaching Princess Idril in Vinyamar.

Turgon was the jolliest king of all time. Since he was so free, he was always the first to devise frivolous things and was teased by the Lords and citizens for that, daily (for example “the King was too old that he was covered with mould”). In those times, the High King could only threatened to deport the mischief Elves (which no one scared) or had them guard the gate or came back to his tower, closed the door and sulked. He was also an architect, hence he was very close to the two Houses specialized in this area which were House of the Pillar and House of the Tower of Snow. He loved coming to the construction to directly supervise everything though everyone tried to stop him. Thanks to his youth of climbing from scaffold to scaffold, Turgon had a formidable climbing skill and good balance. He loves everyone and every Houses despite the teasing. He had a habit of going around the city every day, visiting each House and asking how they were doing. He was so obsessed with the apple from House of the Tree that he tended to put apple in every dish. Turgon was lazy all the time, especially when being wake up and reviewing the documents (which ended up with a mountain of paper). He admired fair things and tended to stare at those beautiful Elves which made other people mistook him with a pervert. Turgon remained in touch with his brother Fingon. Most of his mails to Fingon was to whine. He was frightened by the swans of the Fountain and theirs master because Ecthelion always threatened to pierce through him with the sharp point on his helmet. Once in a while, Turgon could turn the serious High King mode on. In those times, he would have the whole city review their mischief and yelled from day to night. He could deliver long speech for days without getting tired. His usual saying was _“I’m good, am I not? I’m the best!”_ and _“I’ll deport you immediately!”_


End file.
